CircEsteemOur Kids are Center Ring2015-03-20T20:23:28Zhttp://circesteem.org/feed/atom/WordPressCarlo Gentilehttp://circesteem.orghttp://circesteem.org/?p=28612015-03-20T20:23:28Z2015-03-01T17:40:38ZEnrollment is open! Register here. Monday-Friday • 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.Weekly Sessions: June 22-August 14, 2015 Full Week: $300 Before & After Care are available. Before starts at 8:00am and is $10, aftercare goes until 5pm and is $20 per day. Ages: 6 & up. Levels: Beginner students who are trying circus for the first time; AND, [...]]]>

Enrollment is open!

Full Week: $300Before & After Care are available. Before starts at 8:00am and is $10, aftercare goes until 5pm and is $20 per day.

Ages: 6 & up.

Levels: Beginner students who are trying circus for the first time; AND, Intermediate to Advanced students wanting to work on skills.

Description: Summer Circus Camp is a fun, safe, supportive and challenging environment where children explore the many skills that create the Circus Arts. Circus Day Camp allows each child to develop self-confidence, self-esteem, physical awareness and an understanding of the potential they possess.Skills taught may include: acrobatics, clowning, juggling, stilt walking, gym wheel, rolling globe, tight wire, and rolla bolla.Students enrolled will get to share their excitement and skill with family and friends at the end of the week in a show!

Payment: CircEsteem’s 2014 Summer Camp costs $300 for the one-week session.Early bird registrants must pay in full. A non-refundable $100 deposit is required at the time of registration. The balance is due before the first day of camp. Children with outstanding payments will not be allowed to participate at camp.

Before & After Care: Before care is offered at 8:00am, the cost is $10. After care is offered until 5:00pm, the cost is $20.

Lunch: Campers must bring their own lunches. A refrigerator and microwave are available. Children should also bring a beverage. Bringing a bottle of water is highly recommended as the daily activities are physically demanding.

Attire and personal belongings: Campers should wear clothing that is easy to move in and appropriate for being upside down. Gym shoes and socks are necessary for some circus activities. Wear or bring both every day. Jewelry is not allowed because it can easily get lost, damaged, or cause injury when snagged and pulled off the body inadvertently. CircEsteem is not responsible for any lost or stolen belongings. It is recommended that valuables be left at home.

]]>0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=40122015-01-14T23:30:09Z2015-01-12T23:50:29ZWe attended CircEsteem’s Spring Circus in 2010. Our oldest daughter, who was 9 years old at the time, was immediately drawn into the performances and wanted to be a part of what she was watching. The following week, my wife registered her for summer camp. It turned out to be one of the best experiences [...]]]>We attended CircEsteem’s Spring Circus in 2010. Our oldest daughter, who was 9 years old at the time, was immediately drawn into the performances and wanted to be a part of what she was watching. The following week, my wife registered her for summer camp. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of her young life. She was so into what was going on there, so motivated to get up and go to camp every morning, and so proud of what she accomplished every day. At the end of the 1st week, her camp put on a show and I got to attend. As I watched her walking a tight rope, spinning plates and throwing pies, I was so amazed by what she’d accomplished and so pleased with the fun she was having!

The following fall we enrolled both of our daughters in Saturday classes at CircEsteem. I still have a clear memory of my younger daughter, then 7 years old, standing on top of the gym wheel at the Winter Circus performance. By then it was clear to us that CircEsteem would be a constant presence in their lives. They both loved their teachers and friends, and approached their new Saturday morning routines with an enthusiasm and focus I’d not seen from them before or since. In the spring of 2011, both girls performed in the Spring Circus Show. Taking them to the same location where we had taken them one year earlier (then as spectators, now as participants) provided a personal moment of reflection. In just one year they had accomplished so much, gained so much confidence and made so many new friends. It was very satisfying to know that our girls were part of this community.

CircEsteem has now been part of our lives for nearly 5 years. We’ve had the pleasure of watching our daughters grow and mature under the tutelage of CircEsteem’s excellent teachers. They have become members of an ensemble. They have learned the delicate balance of knowing when to lead and when to follow. They’ve also become members of a diverse community of teachers and students. They’ve been given opportunities of making friends from different parts of Chicago and different parts of the world.

In my opinion, the challenges that our daughters face in their day to day lives would probably not be perceived as epic by anyone. Still, it is impossible for me to imagine how they would face a challenge without the benefit of the courage, camaraderie and self esteem that CircEsteem has given them. Whether the challenges stem from academics, athletics, friendships or self-discovery, our daughters’ CircEsteem experiences have better equipped them to address all issues with patience, with confidence, and with the knowledge that people are rooting for their success!

Side note: At a recent neighborhood event, my younger daughter was called upon to announce the winner of a raffle. She grabbed the microphone and spoke to the crowd of over 100 people with confidence and grace. I marveled at her poise, and then admitted to myself that it would not have been possible without CircEsteem.

Matt Fleming

Matt is a long-time CircEsteem parent.

]]>0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=39732014-12-12T22:39:46Z2014-12-05T22:13:55ZMy grandmother Margie instilled in me an early love of dressing up. She was also a skilled artist, so she could add to the fantasy of my costume by inserting me into a scene of her imagining. My grandmother passed on her love of costumes and pranks to my mother. My mother added her own [...]]]>

My grandmother Margie instilled in me an early love of dressing up. She was also a skilled artist, so she could add to the fantasy of my costume by inserting me into a scene of her imagining.

My grandmother passed on her love of costumes and pranks to my mother. My mother added her own questionable sanity to the mix, by habitually showing me foreign language movies before I’d learned to read very well; so she would read me the subtitles. My mother and father and I watched La Strada when I was about 6 or 7. The sadness and darkness of the movie was somewhat lost on me, but I distinctly remember the clowning and street performances of Gelsomina and Zompano.

Then in 1989, Cirque du Soleil came to Chicago in a little tent on North Pier. My mother and I went and, if I hadn’t been hooked before, I was then.

In 2007, Una was born, and the fourth generation of circus lovers was among us. For years Una, Eric, and I have all taken my mother for her birthday to seeMidnight Circus in the parks. And now, every Saturday, Una can perform with a circus troupe of her own—a diverse band of motley, talented youth at CircEsteem. What luck! My mom and I whisper and gasp in suspense and pride now, instead of whispering subtitles. I only wish my grandmother were here to paint the picture.

Karen Reyes

Karen Reyes is a devoted CircEsteem parent and the Friends of CircEsteem Committee Chair.

]]>0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=39232014-12-01T19:38:20Z2014-11-25T19:19:37ZIf you didn’t have a chance to make it to our Circus Soirée in October and you would still like to give a gift, please visit our secure online donation page. Thank you! If you would like to see more photos from our event visit CircEsteem’s flickr page.]]>If you didn’t have a chance to make it to our Circus Soirée in October and you would still like to give a gift, please visit our secure online donation page. Thank you!

0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=38132014-08-27T01:45:39Z2014-08-22T21:25:37ZCircus Fun With CircEsteem! CircEsteem is a non-profit youth outreach program that is dedicated to helping students build self-esteem and mutual respect through the practice of circus arts. GRADES: K – 5. Can be broken into K-2 and 3-5 if enrollment is high. NO. OF STUDENTS: 8 student minimum. 20 student maximum, with option to [...]]]>Circus Fun With CircEsteem!

CircEsteem is a non-profit youth outreach program that is dedicated to helping students build self-esteem and mutual respect through the practice of circus arts.

GRADES:

K – 5. Can be broken into K-2 and 3-5 if enrollment is high.

NO.OFSTUDENTS:

8 student minimum. 20 student maximum, with option to run a second class if enrollment is high.

PROGRAMOBJECTIVES:

CircEsteem is committed to providing programming to help students develop confidence in addition to flexibility, balance, coordination and strength. CircEsteem classes are designed to allow each student to work at their own pace while finding opportunities to build teamwork and cooperation. CircEsteem strives to help each student discover his or her, “look what I can do!” moment.

STUDENTRULESANDPROCEDURES:

Student agreements include: Cultivate success, Respect the Space, Follow the Magic Sign, Respect Yourself and Others, and Try Everything. These agreements will be discussed at the beginning of each class. Students who struggle to follow the agreements maybe asked to sit out for 5 minutes to ensure the safety of themselves and others. If a student has repeated problems following the agreements – the CircEsteem instructor will seek the guidance of the school administration.

ASSESSMENTS

Students have the opportunity to assess their own progress as they develop their skills. Students will reflect each day on what they worked on and will have the opportunity to share their successes each class meeting.

L.R.E.AND SWD:

SWD are encouraged to join CircEsteem, with the understanding that they may not be able to participate in every skill, but will still be able to fully participate in the program.

CONNECTIONSTOSCHOOL’SSTRATEGICPLAN:

CircEsteem programs give students the opportunity to build the confidence they need to improve in school. Once students discover what they are capable of accomplishing, they can recognize their academic potential.

CircEsteem’s teaching method focuses on creating a positive climate. Instructors and peers celebrate successes and try to help students recognize there is nothing that they “can’t do.”

The agreements for being a participant in a CircEsteem class are reinforced at every class meeting. Students are reminded to respect each other and the space they are working in, and the instructors. These agreements help create a positive climate and encourage social emotional learning and team building.

Parents and the school community are engaged with a final performance (often held on the last day of the session) where they can celebrate the accomplishments and new skills of the participants and will have the opportunity to learn some circus skills themselves from the students in the class.

STUDENTVOICE

CircEsteem recognizes that students need to have control over their own learning. Instructors will have a continuous dialogue with students about the skills they are learning in each class. Students are encouraged to speak up and let instructors know when they feel successful, afraid or frustrated in the program. Students will also have the opportunity to select the skills they want to perform in the final performance.

STUDENTSKILLS

This program will target confidence building first and foremost, and will help students recognize that there is no limit to what they can accomplish. Students will also be encouraged to develop confidence while on stage and performing which can evolve into confidence in the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to work on team building, as many of the skills they will be learning require students to trust each other and work together to succeed. Building circus skills is also linked to physical fitness, fine arts and social emotional learning.

BUDGET

$17 per student, per hour. This cost includes instructors (at a minimum 1:10 teacher-student ratio) for up to 20 participants, transportation, prop rental and maintenance, and liability insurance.

]]>0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=37132014-05-19T20:30:44Z2014-05-16T18:43:06ZCircEsteem is an awesome program; my son has learned not to fear getting up in front of a crowd. CircEsteem Parent]]>CircEsteem is an awesome program; my son has learned not to fear getting up in front of a crowd.

]]>0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=37092014-05-16T18:41:17Z2014-05-16T18:41:17ZCircEsteem provides a unique combination of world-class training with world-changing community outreach. How lucky we are to have this exquisite treasure in our beloved city! Parent]]>CircEsteem provides a unique combination of world-class training with world-changing community outreach. How lucky we are to have this exquisite treasure in our beloved city!

Parent

]]>0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=37072014-05-16T18:40:32Z2014-05-16T18:40:32ZMy granddaughter loves the experience of learning and preforming circus acts. It helps her confidence in preforming in front of an audience. Grandparent]]>My granddaughter loves the experience of learning and preforming circus acts. It helps her confidence in preforming in front of an audience.

Grandparent

]]>0adminhttp://circesteem.org/?p=37052014-05-16T18:39:39Z2014-05-16T18:39:39ZI wish there could be a program like this in every neighborhood! Marissa Kalman – Family Member]]>I wish there could be a program like this in every neighborhood!